We are receiving lots of fur donations for our Cuddle Coats program and want to ship them to our wildlife rehab partners as soon as possible. Meet at the ARC office (co-located with Ethique Nouveau) at 317 W 48th St. in Minneapolis at 6:00 pm to help prep fur coats and accessories for shipment. Wear clothes that can get a little fuzzy. This is a great, low key way to volunteer and meet some of the other people in the group while helping to save animal lives.

We are receiving lots of fur donations for our Cuddle Coats program and want to ship them to our wildlife rehab partners as soon as possible. Meet at the ARC office (co-located with Ethique Nouveau) at 317 W 48th St. in Minneapolis at 6:00 pm to help prep fur coats and accessories for shipment. Wear clothes that can get a little fuzzy. This is a great, low key way to volunteer and meet some of the other people in the group while helping to save animal lives.

ARC In Action meetings are held every first and third Wednesday of the month from 7-8pm at our vegan store and ARC office, Ethique Nouveau, located at 317 W. 48th St. in South Minneapolis (on 48th St. between Lyndale and Nicollet). Everyone is welcome - you do not have to be an ARC member or vegan or vegetarian to attend. Come out, meet other people who care about animals as much as you do, and see how you can get involved. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail Chelsea at chelsea@animalrightscoalition.com.

ARC In Action meetings are held every first and third Wednesday of the month from 7-8pm at our vegan store and ARC office, Ethique Nouveau, located at 317 W. 48th St. in South Minneapolis (on 48th St. between Lyndale and Nicollet). Everyone is welcome - you do not have to be an ARC member or vegan or vegetarian to attend. Come out, meet other people who care about animals as much as you do, and see how you can get involved. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail Chelsea at chelsea@animalrightscoalition.com.

Stop by the ARC booth at the Midtown Farmers Market from 8:00 AM-1:00 PM on Saturday 8/8. The market is at Lake St. E and 22nd Ave. S. We\'ll be giving out info about how to go vegan and recipes for using all the veggies people get at the market, and talking to people about famed animal issues. Visit http://www.midtownfarmersmarket.org/ for more info.

Stop by the ARC booth at the Midtown Farmers Market from 8:00 AM-1:00 PM on Saturday 8/8. The market is at Lake St. E and 22nd Ave. S. We'll be giving out info about how to go vegan and recipes for using all the veggies people get at the market, and talking to people about famed animal issues. Visit http://www.midtownfarmersmarket.org/ for more info.

If you have to be picky about which protests you attend, pick this one from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Petland store at 2123 Old Hudson Road in St. Paul. Help send a message loud and clear that we are not going away until Petland stops selling animals from commercial breeders. Even if you can only come for part of the protest, please try to make it. The animals need you to help educate the public on their behalf. Invite your friends. Help us spread the word. Remember that we do not park or trespass in the Petland parking lot. Parking is available in the St. Paul Youth Services lot to the north of the strip mall. More info and RSVP at Minnesota Animal Rights Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Minnesota-Animal-Rights-Meetup/

If you have to be picky about which protests you attend, pick this one from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Petland store at 2123 Old Hudson Road in St. Paul. Help send a message loud and clear that we are not going away until Petland stops selling animals from commercial breeders. Even if you can only come for part of the protest, please try to make it. The animals need you to help educate the public on their behalf. Invite your friends. Help us spread the word. Remember that we do not park or trespass in the Petland parking lot. Parking is available in the St. Paul Youth Services lot to the north of the strip mall. More info and RSVP at Minnesota Animal Rights Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Minnesota-Animal-Rights-Meetup/

North Vegans will be hosting a Soul Food & Southern Cooking: Vegan Style cooking class on Saturday, August 8 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Parkway United Church of Christ, 3120 Washburn Ave. N in Minneapolis. This free cooking class is limited to the first 15 participants, and preference will be given to North Minneapolis residents. RSVP by emailing chelsea@animalrightscoalition.com

North Vegans will be hosting a Soul Food & Southern Cooking: Vegan Style cooking class on Saturday, August 8 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at Parkway United Church of Christ, 3120 Washburn Ave. N in Minneapolis. This free cooking class is limited to the first 15 participants, and preference will be given to North Minneapolis residents. RSVP by emailing chelsea@animalrightscoalition.com

You\'ve heard about circus protests and the criticisms circuses receive for having wild animals in their shows. But what about the domestic animals? What about the announcement Ringling made about \"retiring\" their elephants in three years? If things are that bad, why isn\'t there a law against it? We\'ll go over some of the most commonly cited arguments so you\'ll be prepared to speak to folks who don\'t yet have all the facts. We\'ll go over the current state of animal circuses in the United States and around the globe, and we\'ll talk about local efforts here to raise awareness around both circuses and the exotic animal rides at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Event is at Augsburg Park Library meeting room, 7100 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis from noon to 2:00pm. RSVP at Minnesota Animal Rights Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Minnesota-Animal-Rights-Meetup/events/223791631/

You've heard about circus protests and the criticisms circuses receive for having wild animals in their shows. But what about the domestic animals? What about the announcement Ringling made about "retiring" their elephants in three years? If things are that bad, why isn't there a law against it? We'll go over some of the most commonly cited arguments so you'll be prepared to speak to folks who don't yet have all the facts. We'll go over the current state of animal circuses in the United States and around the globe, and we'll talk about local efforts here to raise awareness around both circuses and the exotic animal rides at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Event is at Augsburg Park Library meeting room, 7100 Nicollet Ave. in Minneapolis from noon to 2:00pm. RSVP at Minnesota Animal Rights Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/Minnesota-Animal-Rights-Meetup/events/223791631/

The Animal Rights Coalition operates Ethique Nouveau; a vegan boutique, where all purchases help fund our animal advocacy programs, at 317 W. 48th St. in Minneapolis. The ARC office is located at the same address.

A Flurry of Activity With 100% Chance of Helping Animals

January 1st, 2013

Thank you to all of you who made donations to ARC in 2012. If you meant to make a contribution before the end of the year, but time got away from you, no worries. Make your donation to ARC now and feel good about starting the New Year off right!

The start of a new year is often a time for reflection. I was thinking about what makes the Animal Rights Coalition so unique and why the work we do for animals continues to inspire me daily. Here are five things that make me proud to be part of an organization like ARC:

We made a significant dent in the culture of violence that is animal research by working to ban pound seizure in Minnesota (signed into law and banned in April 2012!), by exposing Marilyn Carroll’s primate addiction experiments at the U of M, and by bringing unwanted attention to the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science’s national convention with a demonstration attended by over 100 people.

We created a sense of community among Minnesotans who care about animals. Our Meetup group grew to over 600 members, with over 75 activities this year, providing a vital sense of community and opportunities for people to learn more about animal rights and a plant-based diet. Our Ethique Nouveau store not only provided a space where people could feel comfortable, but also proved to the larger community that a significant number of people want to use harm-free products made without the use of animal testing, ingredients, skins, or furs.

We connected thousands of people with the message that Animals Matter for their own reasons. Our dedicated Outreach Team handed out a total of 13,029 pieces of literature at locations all over the metro area: the Minnesota State Fair, U of M, North Minneapolis, Uptown, Downtown, and at events like the Women of Faith conference, after concerts at First Avenue and the Target Center, and at the Pet Expo, Pride Festival, Living Green Expo, Birth & Baby Expo, and Education Minnesota conference.

We helped to shape a new generation of children who will grow up learning to value and respect animals through our VegKins families program, which has grown to over 30 participating families. We reached educators who will be teaching these children with 660 free lesson plans and resource kits. Read the MN Parent article on ARC’s VegKins program.

We came up with creative, innovative ways to promote plant-based eating. For example, we gave out over 500 samples of vegan burgers and brats with all the fixings and information about animals used in the food system at U of M Gopher football tailgating events – a surprisingly receptive audience, and we’re going to be holding a new Vegan Hot Dish Cook-off event this February. Our Pay Per View and Vegan University programs pioneered the PPV, vegan mentor, and vegan shopping tour concepts in Minnesota and we’ve had over 600 powerful conversations with people about the experiences of animals used for food. See what VegFund has to say about our Vegan University program.

I hope reading this list moves and inspires you as much as it does me. We so appreciate not only your support, but also your vote of confidence in our work for animals. With people like you on our side, we look forward to making even more of a difference in the year ahead, not only for animals, but also in the lives of all the people we reach.